Cleaning car with autoglym..
 

Hello,
I've just got a new company vehicle.
They are never supplied valeted, just a quick jetwash before being delivered.

Anyway, I am hoping to buy this car at the end of its term so am wanting to take good care of it from day one.

So, I've been shopping and binged on autoglym products, having bought the carwash solution, super resin polish and extra gloss protection. All as recommended by autoglym.

I carried out the process today, taking around five hours.
The car looks incredible with a great shine and beautifully smooth paintwork. Far better than it did when I collected it.

Autoglym themselves say to repeat the polish and sealant process once every few months, but having read online many people say you should not use super resin polish at all because it has a cutting compound and will damage the clear coat.

Now, to me being simple you would of course want to polish beforehand, not only to remove swirl marks, but industrial fallout. The fact that the paint is rough to the touch prior to polishing clearly suggests to me that you would want to remove this before applying any sealer..? (Extra gloss protection.)

What do the experts suggest? Have I done something wrong and likely damaged my paintwork in the long-term?

I followed all the autoglym guides on their YouTube page.
(It's been YEARS since I last took any specific interest in making a car look nice.)

Thank you in advance.

I wouldn't worry that you've damaged the paintwork - Super Resin Polish is a very mild abrasive, and primarily uses "fillers" to hide light swirls etc.

However, going forward, if the paintwork feels at all rough, a good way to remove bonded contaminants is with a clay bar (or clay mitt). This will clean the paint prior to polishing (if needed) and then sealing with either a wax, sealant, or hybrid (such as Colinite).

Cliff

Thank you, that's good news.
I was only applying it by hand and not pressing very hard at all.
I've used clay in the past, but not for a very long time.
(Just realised, probably over ten years ago... Ouch, where did that time go?)

I've already invested in the Autoglym stuff. Is it best to not use it anymore?

Can I use sealer without polishing/claying if the paint is smooth to touch? I guess that now it's smooth, I can just keep applying the sealer and it will never become rough whilst I keep on top of sealer application?

:wot::iagree:

It's incredibly unlikely that you've damaged the paintwork (clear coat) with the Autoglym products that you've used.

The "roughness" is probably the industrial fallout you've mentioned. It'll have got onto the paintwork while being transported on trains, sitting at the docks etc. A quick check is to grab one of those super thin plastic bags they have in supermarkets to put fruit and veg in. Put your hand in and stretch it over your fingers. VERY LIGHTLY feel over the surface of the paint after it's been given a good wash - you don't want to be dragging dust and muck across the clear coat. Any roughness will be bonded contaminants as any muck will have washed off.

As Cliff says, removing it is with a clay bar or mitt.

Drop me a PM and I'll send you some.

You could add another "layer" to the washing by using a fallout remover.

This will get rid of any embedded iron particles (such as from the train brakes while in transit) and they usually "bleed" a red/purple colour as they are working. Most often used on wheels but good ones car be used on the whole car. Autoglym's version is "Magma"

This is what a fallout remover looks like as it works. This is on SWMBO's Mazda:


https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...dff936_w_d.jpg

Here's a couple of companies that I use regularly. Both are relatively small British manufacturers and produce great quality products. I'm not connected to either apart from they're at the top of my list when I run out of something.

https://www.car-chem.com/shop

https://www.bilthamber.com/

Good Luck.

Hi Andy,

Thank you very much. Its been such a long time since I've had a nice car I'd kind of forgotten what it felt like to worry about it so much.
I used to spend days cleaning my Rover 75s. It really was an obsession. It's all flooding back to me now!

I'm glad that I've done no damage. It's a real relief to hear.

Regarding clay, I'll send you a PM.

Fallout remover sounds good. Especially if it's easy to apply. I don't have a powerwasher etc. Just a garden hose and a bucket!
I've just googled the magma, looks very interesting and safe on wax as well.

I'll look at the websites you've mentioned. I always like to support British business if I can.

I have used Autoglym products on my Rover 75 Conny SE since i bought it in 2002 and can state that it has not damaged the paint.

Thank you. Do you use the extra resin polish? How often do you use it out of interest?

1 or 2 times a year. Car lives outside.

Ok, thanks. Good to know.

+1 on Autoglym. My 22 year old 75 still looks good on it after many years of "glyming"!;)


https://i.imgur.com/2PYYnBR.jpg?1